Image taken from https://boardgamegeek.com/image/7786552/pirates-of-maracaibo

Designers: Ralph Bienert, Ryan Hendrickson, Alexander Pfister
Publishers: dlp games, Game’s Up
Artists: Christian Fiore, Odysseas Stamoglou

Disclaimer: I have never played the original Maracaibo, so this will not have any comparisons.

In Pirates of Maracaibo you are pirates… in/near Maracaibo… The game is played over a series of three rounds. Each round, your ship travels across the sea and lands on cards in the tableau to perform the depicted action(s). In the solo game, you play against an AI opponent named Jordan. Instead of giving a thorough run-down (or sail-down?) of the game, I’ll give you some pros and cons that include some gameplay elements. Overall, I love the pirate theme, and I appreciate that the game is different from other games we have, but the solo experience wasn’t my favorite. The multiplayer experience, on the other hand, is quite fun!

Pros:

• As aforementioned, I love the theme! Rolling for and burying treasure is definitely my favorite aspect of the game. I probably focus on it way too much, but it’s so fun!
• The game is very quick, in a good way. There are three rounds and then the game ends, so there isn’t a lot that can drag it out unless someone has some serious analysis paralysis. Even though it’s short, you still feel like you can accomplish what you like to, but you also still feel pressed for time to complete everything you’d like to.
• There are multiple modules that come with the base game that add good variability, and most have specific rules for them to be incorporated into the solo mode, which I greatly appreciate.
• The movement across the tableau of cards is fun. It’s probably the most strategic aspect of this game, so the combination of the decision-making and visual appeal is pleasant. I also appreciate that when you buy a card you land on, it gets replaced, so the board is constantly evolving.
• Jordan is a formidable opponent without being too challenging to beat. Jordan’s turns are pretty easy to manage (see another point in the cons for the other side of this) while affecting the game enough. There are different difficulty levels in this AI solo deck, so you can basically build Jordan’s deck to whatever level you choose, which is perfect for solo gaming. Not only does it add a lot of variability and replayability, but it also gives the player a lot of control over what kind of game they want to play each time.
• There are many different strategies and ways to accumulate points in the game. Even if the game play itself can be similar, there is always something new to try, a different route (pun intended) to take, and/or a unique action option or opportunity for optimization.
• The multiplayer game is a lot of fun! The interconnected nature of the theme and mechanics make it an enjoyable experience to share with others.
  

Cons:

• While not detracting substantially from your own strategy and game, you do actually have to do some thinking and deduction on Jordan’s turn which isn’t my favorite. There are certain places Jordan prefers to land, so you have to evaluate the board and determine Jordan’s next location. I also had to continually refer back to the rule book to figure out what happens for most actions Jordan takes. It’s almost a little too fiddly.
• If the game didn’t have the extra modules, solo game play would get stale very quickly. I played twice and the only reason I played again was to try one of the added variations. I enjoyed the alternate way of playing more than the regular game, but I wasn’t (and am still not) dying to play again.
• It just doesn’t resonate with me solo. There isn’t anything that is exceptionally unique, except maybe travelling across a tableau of cards, there isn’t anything that makes it craveable, and there isn’t anything mechanically or strategically that keeps me thinking about the game after it’s over.
• This game is icon soup which isn’t a huge problem, but some are a little less intuitive than I’d like them to be.
• The player tokens are waaaaaay too small, like unnecessarily small.

I like it, but I don’t love it. The multiplayer experience, for me, was significantly more enjoyable than playing solo. I really liked the player interaction and just being able to have someone to share the experience of being a pirate with! For what it’s worth, the fiancée also enjoyed the multiplayer game a lot, even more than me.

So, Pirates of Maracaibo. Will I play it solo again? Maybe, maybe not. Will I play it multiplayer again? Definitely.